Missile fire continues to fill the sky between Israel and Palestine. Catholics in the region have not been directly attacked, but they are living amid the violence with fear and frustration.
PIERBATTISTA PIZZABALLA, O.F.M.
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem
'In Gaza, the Rosary Sisters School was indirectly hit because around the school there are several Hamas tunnels. Part of the local community has moved to live inside the school, because they are safer there. They are afraid of being in their homes.'
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem is calling for calm on both sides of the conflict. He asks the world to not forget the situation in the Holy Land, and to pray for peace and justice.
It's a grave situation that's made even worse by the increasingly violent clashes in Jerusalem.
PIERBATTISTA PIZZABALLA, O.F.M.
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem
'This brutality that has exploded had been dormant for some time and we didn't realized it. I think we have to overcome the illusion that interfaith meetings for peace will lead to a peaceful coexistence. We need to do more work on the ground level: schools, the media, places of worship. And we need to be attentive to the language we use. Because violent language leads to violence.'
Pierbattista Pizzaballa asks Catholics to be more sensitive to the situation in Jerusalem, where the roots of the Faith are.
He fears that the situation will worsen further in the coming hours, and hopes that the Pope's calls for dialogue will be heard before it is too late.
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